Something Called Love
by malfoyforever
Summary: "Love is not a because, it's a no matter what." - Jodi Picoult, Second Glance. Drabble collection - various pairings, various eras - XI. RonHermione, "Another Time".
1. Second Choice

**A/N: And another drabble collection, while I didn't even finish my others... Ah, well :/ I have 20 chapters on this, anyways, so I guess I'm a little more... say... committed on this one than on the others. **

**Anyhow, these drabbles are any pairing, any era :D I take suggestions, and although I can't promise anything, I might use one or two when I'm out of inspiration :D **

**Drabble I **

**_Title_: Second Choice **

**_Pairing_: DracoAstoria **

**_Rating_: K+ **

**_Summary_: "Why do you still love her?" **

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><p><strong>I – <strong>DracoAstoria.

"Why do you still love her?"

"I don't know," he hesitated. "And I'm sorry..."

There it was: whenever he said anything like that, her heart melted. She loved him – so much, more than he'd ever love her. She was, as she had always been, a second choice; but for now, she didn't care.

She was married to him; they had a son together, a proof to her that they had a chance. And then she wondered whether he thought of _her_, the other one, whenever the two of them had made love.

There were some things, she realised, you didn't want to know.

Turning back to him, she sighed and stared into his eyes, grey into brown; and then she slowly reached to trace the line of his jaw. "It's okay," she said softly, a lie if there was ever one.

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><p><strong>BTW, the 'her' that Draco still loves is Pansy, because I love tragic! DracoPansy :D<strong>

**Please read and review, especially if you favourite/alert! :D **


	2. Nadejda

**A/N: Because I really love this pairing ;) **

**BTW, before I begin, I want to thank Cassia4u for reviewing, it made my day :D **

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><p><strong>Drabble II <strong>

**_Title_: Nadejda**

**_Pairing_: IgorEmmeline **

**_Rating_: K **

**_Summary_: Hope. The two of them, they needed hope, and what better than to name their daughter after it? **

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><p><strong>II <strong>– IgorEmmeline.

She touched her eight-month-along baby bump gingerly, feeling more than ever like a whale under his dark-eye gaze. "What should Elena's middle name be?"

His fingers fluttered to her abdomen, warm and cool at once. His smoky grey eyes met her light brown; they were bad and good, cowardly and brave; an ocean of contrasts. "_Nadejda_," he murmured, his eyes staring off into the distance.

She knew some Bulgarian, easy phrases, but not nearly enough to understand his murmur. She put her hand over his, and shivered from nor the heat, nor the coolness. "What does _that_ mean?"

He looked up, his mouth curving into a smile. "_Nadejda_," he said slowly, pronouncing each syllable separately, "means 'hope'." His hand left her baby bump to caress her face. "Hope for the end of the war," he whispered in the pink shell of her ear, "hope for our baby's happiness, and hope for us."

She nodded, resting her head against his shoulder. "_Nadejda_," she repeated, trying to curl it with a Bulgarian accent. "Elena Nadejda. I like it."

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><p><strong>I found this name one day on the big lovely network called Internet, and then I double-checked it with Google Translate - not very reliable, I know - so correct me you speak Bulgarian, and, yeah, sorry for any inaccuracies :D<strong>

**Please read and review, especially if you favourite/alert!**


	3. Without Firewhiskey

**So... Since I didn't give you the drabbles for yesterday and the day before, you will not have one, not two, but THREE chapters today! :D Also, I'd like to thank Cassia4u and kirsten for reviewing! :D **

**Cassia4u: Thanks! Happy New Year, by the way, and I hope you enjoy this drabble as well! **

**kirsten: Thanks! Unfortunately, I won't be writing more of this, but you're welcome to check out my fic, _Secret_, if you want to know more about the conception of Elena and how Igor and Emmeline met :D **

**Now, for the drabble! **

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><p><strong>Drabble III <strong>

**_Title_: Without Firewhiskey **

**_Pairing_: GeorgeLuna **

**_Rating_: K+ **

**_Summary_: "Fred wouldn't want you to do this." Luna tries to convince George to cope with Fred's death without alcohol. **

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><p><strong>III <strong>– GeorgeLuna.

"What happened to my Firewhiskey?" he demanded, indignant.

She sat at the kitchen table, serene as always. "I threw it out," she replied, her tone misty and lullaby-like, as it had always been. "There was really quite a lot. Oh, and I drank a glass of the last bottle." She fiddled with her Butterbeer necklace. "It was rather good, though I think it might've been a bit stale."

He ran his hand through his messy red hair; he hadn't combed it in days. Rubbing his face tiredly, he tried to remain calm. "_No_," he cried piteously, almost a plea. "You couldn't have. I _need_ it."

Her grey eyes pierced his brown. "Falling deep into the bottle isn't going to make your grief go away," she said in her sing-song voice, tilting her head to look at him full in face. "Fred wouldn't want you to do this."

That was the last straw; growling deep in his throat, he lunged for the closest victim possible: a small red mug. He tossed it brutally onto the floor, smashing it into a thousand pieces; then, he turned back to her, eyes wild. "How do you know what he would want? He's _dead_, goddammit!"

A sob wracked through his body; burying his face in his hands, he turned his back on her. Silently, she stood up and wrapped her arms round him. "Hey," she said quietly, "don't worry, George, I'm going to help you to get through this, promise."

He felt himself nod against her, his face buried in her hair; and then he realised the most extraordinary thing: that he had begun to believe in people again, a first since his twin's death.

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><p><strong>I especially love this pairing :D <strong>

**Please read and review, especially if you favourite/alert! **


	4. Luckiest Woman in the World

**Okay, I could have written an angsty Lucissa - my favourite pairing, by the way -, but I guess my muse thought otherwise :D **

**Anyways, enjoy! :D **

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><p><strong>Drabble IV <strong>

**_Title_: Luckiest Woman in the World **

**_Pairing_: LuciusNarcissa **

**_Rating_: K **

**_Summary_: When it comes to love, Narcissa doesn't really care about others' opinions. For that, Lucius is grateful. **

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><p><strong>IV <strong>– LuciusNarcissa.

"Everyone thinks I deserve better."

His head swivelled towards her. "And what," he asked slowly, evenly, "do you think?"

She kissed him, her fingers digging into his hair, and closed her eyes. "Darling," she replied, and he could feel the smile on her lips, "I think – no, I _know_ – that they're not me. And I think that I'm the luckiest woman in the world, to have you."

His lips slowly curled into a smile. "I shouldn't have doubted you," he mused, "and rest assure, daffodil, I feel exactly the same."

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><p><strong>So short, I know, but I didn't need many words to convey the message of this, I guess :D <strong>

**Please read and review, especially if you favourite/alert! **


	5. Beach Wedding

**And the final drabble :D **

**I love this one, fluffy too, I see :D **

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><p><strong>Drabble V <strong>

**_Title_: Beach Wedding **

**_Pairing_: AndromedaTed **

**_Rating_: K **

**_Summary_: Sometimes, you have to leave your family behind to be with who you love. Andromeda Black knows that all too well. **

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><p><strong>V <strong>– AndromedaTed.

His fingers stayed laced with hers. "You know," he started, "we could run away, mind, and go to a beach, or something."

She could feel herself smile. "Why?" She paused, thought for a moment, and then smirked. "Is it because you want to see me in a barely-there bikini?"

"Touché." In the darkness, he grinned and rolled over in the wet grass. "Nah, that too, but I've always wanted to visit the Cote d'Azur."

"I went there, once," she counted. "When I was little. It was fun. The beaches, they were beautiful."

He nodded. "See, that's what I mean: we go see the sights, together of course, and then we, I dunno, get married? That'd be cool."

"A beach wedding," she agreed. "With the bridesmaids going round barefoot-"

She stopped. She knew that they were destined together; she could see herself with no one else. But in the event of their marriage, none of her family would come; they were too prejudiced against his people.

She didn't want to leave her family, truth be told, but not every choice came without catches; and she wanted a home with him, a home her family could not give her.

"Sweetheart?" he murmured, snuggling closer to her. "You okay?"

She nodded, her brown curls bouncing. "Sure," she lied, and she continued imagining their beach wedding as if she hadn't stopped talking at all.

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><p><strong>See what I mean about fluff? :D <strong>

**Please read and review, especially if you favourite/alert! **


	6. Right or Wrong

**A/N: Sooo, since I didn't update yesterday, two drabbles today :D **

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><p><strong>Drabble VI <strong>

**_Title_: Right or Wrong **

**_Pairing_: RemusTonks **

**_Rating_: K **

**_Summary_: She wondered when Remus would realise that he was all wrong for her and realise the opposite. **

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><p><strong>VI <strong>- RemusTonks

"No," he said curtly, turning away before his instincts could lead him on into an assault on the poor young woman. "No, I'm a monster, Nymphadora, and I could never be good for you."

She fell to her knees as she listened to his footsteps, which became softer and softer with the farther he got. She buried her face in her hands and cried, for this umpteenth failed attempt; she cried and wondered whenever he'd stop saying he was all wrong for her and realise the exact opposite.

She wondered whether that day was a distant dreamland, or if it ever would come.

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><p><strong>Please read and review! :D<strong>


	7. Standing by You

**A/N: Meh, not sure that I did Daphne and Theo justice, but I did try :/ **

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><p><strong>Drabble VII <strong>

**_Title_: Standing by You **

**_Pairing_: TheoDaphne **

**_Rating_: K+ **

**_Summary_: True love is when you stand by a certain person, no matter what. Theo shouldn't have doubted that one bit. **

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><p><strong>VII <strong>– TheoDaphne.

"Are you okay?"

He took one look at her face, and decided against lying; and what good would it be, lying to her, when she could see through him perfectly, anyways? "No," he sighed, rubbing his temple. "No, sweetheart, I'm not okay."

She kept her hand on the doorframe, an eyebrow raised. "Tell me," she demanded, her tone leaving no place for disagreement. She held up a wand. "Or I'll-"

"Never mind." Sometimes, he berated himself for choosing to move in with a Slytherin girl; everyone knew that they were mistresses of blackmail. Then again, he had been Slytherin, himself; his skills were more than a match for hers. Today, though, he wasn't exactly in the mood for a blackmail-fest.

He looked up at her, his dark eyes tired, the shadows more pronounced than ever. "His trial," he started slowly, hesitantly, "is today afternoon."

She seemed to sag. "_Him_?"

"Him." He sighed again, burying his face in his hands. "And I know that the lawyer said that we had a chance, sweetheart, but – well, I have a feeling we're going to lose." Tracing a circle with his finger in the aged wood of the kitchen table, he continued steadily, "You know what that means – he'll be in prison for life."

She approached, putting her hand on his shoulder. It felt cool, smooth, relaxing; to him, it felt like home. "Malfoy got off," she murmured, "and he did-"

He shook his head numbly, not even bothering to look at her. "Father did worse things than Lucius," he muttered. "He told me, himself. There's a specific hierarchy in the Dark Lord's ranks. Lucius was one of his spies, high in the ranks. Father was one of the lower henchmen who specialised in – well, the dirty work."

She hesitated. What could she say, really? Everything that he had thrown to her was one hundred percent right; it was perfectly logical for a traitor to be punished less than a serial killer. Plus, their lawyer was nothing but crappy. "Well," she started, nuzzling his neck with the soft skin of her cheek, "I'll stand by you either way, Theo, be assured of that."

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><p><strong>Please read and review! :D<strong>


	8. Rejection

**A/N: Four drabbles today :) **

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><p><strong>Drabble VIII <strong>

**_Title_: Rejection **

**_Pairing_: SiriusMarlene **

**_Rating_: K+ **

**_Summary_: He never knew rejection could taste so sour. **

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><p><strong>VIII <strong>– SiriusMarlene.

"_Please_?" He knew he sounded pitiable, but what did you say when the love of your life threatened to leave you – and who was, this time, someone he actually had a chance with?

She glanced at him, the pity on her face obvious – and he hated it. Perhaps he was being left, yes, but he didn't do pity. "Dog Boy," she said patiently, putting a hand on his shoulder as she stood up to leave, "I told you before we had sex that you were just a lay."

"Just a lay," he repeated, his face growing redder, "you're saying-" He stopped, and then spoke again after a moment's thought. "You're saying that Gideon, too, is going to just another lay?"

From her spot near the door, she turned and reddened. "You don't understand," she muttered, more for herself than anything. She looked at the door, and then at him. "You don't understand," she repeated, and she was out in an instant.

By the time he had gotten to the corridor outside his flat, she was already gone; twisting his mouth, he went back into his lodging and slammed the door shut. And then he searched for the Firewhiskey he and Prongs had stashed in his kitchen cupboard a few months ago, just for the old times' sake; unscrewing the cap, he tipped it to his lips and drank, until the bitter taste in the mouth was gone.

He didn't realise it at the time, but the bitter taste he had drowned in alcohol was not spite, nor was it jealousy; no, it was the taste of rejection, plain and simple, and he had never known it could taste so sour.

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><p><strong>Please read and review! :D<strong>


	9. Hypocrite

**A/N: Really short, I know :/ **

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><p><strong>Drabble IX <strong>

**_Title_: Hypocrite **

**_Pairing_: BillFleur **

**_Rating_: K **

**_Summary_: How could she expect him to be her saviour when he couldn't even save himself? **

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><p><strong>IX <strong>– BillFleur.

"_Je t'aime_," she murmured, her face in his chest.

He didn't answer; he contented himself with wrapping an arm round her waist. And the whole time, he couldn't help but think that he was nothing but a hypocrite; she expected and wanted him to be her saviour, her white knight, but how could he save her, when he couldn't even protect himself?

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><p><strong>Please read and review! :D<strong>


	10. Dangers of Childbirth

**A/N: LilyJames is cute :D **

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><p><strong>Drabble X <strong>

**_Title_: Dangers of Childbirth**

**_Pairing_: LilyJames**

**_Rating_: K+ **

**_Summary_: Lily and James talk about the dangers of childbirth. **

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><p><strong>X <strong>– LilyJames.

She rested her head on his shoulder, a hand still resting on her heavily pregnant midsection. "Merlin's pants, I feel _fat_," she muttered, and he laughed, lacing his fingers through hers.

"Only one month to go, Lily-Flower," he grinned, that oh-so-mischievous grin that was the first thing she had fallen for, during that eventful seventh year. "Then a nice little baby that's part you, part me will pop out-"

Scowling, she slapped him playfully. "You make it sound _easy_," she retorted, and she glanced at her stretch marks, a bit worriedly. "And my mum, she says that it hurts so very badly-"

His eyes widening, he countered, "It can't be as bad as the Cruciatus Curse, Lils, and we've both suffered through that in fights for the Order!"

"Well, is it possible to go mad during labour?" she challenged, and a shadow flitted across her face. She put a hand over her forehead. "Merlin, it'd better check..."

He slung an arm around her shoulder. "Lily," he soothed, and his lips grazed the pink shell of her ear, "you'll be fine. I promise. Darling, you worry too much."

To his surprise, she began smiling a bit. "Perhaps I do," she conceded, and she turned her head to look at him in the face, green eyes boring into brown. "But if magic and Voldemort and horrible wars like this are possible, then I'm beginning to believe that, really, there's nothing that's impossible in this world."

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><p><strong>Please read and review! :D <strong>


	11. Another Time

**A/N: A Ronmione with very little Ron and Hermione :D Last drabble for today! **

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><p><strong>Drabble XI <strong>

**_Title_: Another Time **

**_Pairing_: RonHermione **

**_Rating_: K+ **

**_Summary_: "She's going to be great someday, I know it." While her husband jabbers on about their Rosie, Hermione remembers another baby, during another time. **

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><p><strong>XI <strong>– RonHermione.

"She's beautiful!" Arthur Weasley declared, chuckling as his newest granddaughter caught hold of his pinky finger and began sucking it. "Well, Ron, I can see where she's yours. Oh, yes," he said, as his son's ears turned scarlet, "you were a sucker too, son."

"And she looks like you," Ron's brother, George, shot, smirking as he approached the baby. "Much prettier though, might I add."

Charlie Weasley gathered around the chair where his father sat and put a hand on Ron's wife's shoulder. "Looks exactly like you, Hermione," he commented. "Rose's going to be a beauty, Merlin assure you. Ron's eyes, though..."

"...Which may or may not turn brown, Charlie dear," said his mother's voice, and she bustled through her gathered family. "Merlin, will you leave me some room to see my new granddaughter?"

The men shuffled, muttering darkly, while Hermione merely chuckled.

"Give Rosie to me, Arthur," Molly Weasley said sharply, holding out her arms. "You've had her long enough, and, Merlin help me if I haven't yet held my granddaughter, Ronnie's daughter because you've been hogging her!"

While her husband passed the pink bundle to her, Ron came up behind Hermione and put an arm round her waist. "We did a good job, didn't we?" he murmured in her auburn curls. "Look at our little Rosie – a star already. She's going to be great someday, I know it."

Hermione smiled at the new father's proud boasting. Unconsciously, though, her hand slid underneath her shirt and touched her lower abdomen, as her body remembered another child during another time, an inner musing of what could have been.

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><p><strong>Make what you want of the last line... Please read and review! :D<strong>


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